Welcome to the Life of Lauren Voight

Post navigation

To travel is to experience wonders, to broaden your horizon. This past summer I had the privilege of site seeing all that is Chicago. From the beautiful architecture to the lavish fire work displays and even the infamous hot dogs, I witnessed it all. It is something special when you get to be apart of a city that is so rich in culture. A place where the people are proud of who they are and where they come from. My first day in the city was breathtaking. I went straight from the airport to the city. I took pictures of everything that I saw. I soaked in the wonders of Chicago, the people, the stores, the chocolate, I saw it all. One thing that captured my attention was the magnificent skyscrapers that lined the city. They were tall and strong, and each one told a story. The Willis Tower was a story in itself. I was able to look out from the top of the highest building, one of the tallest in the world, and see the city down below. Being so high up made the giant surrounding buildings look like toy Lego’s and tiny train tracks. Not only was I intrigued by the sites in Chicago, I was also completely in love with the theater. The Chicago Theater was more than I have ever imagined. The performers seemed to jump off the stage with each move. All of the work that was put into the play was noticed by the audience. My experience in Chicago has taught me how to look at everything with an open mind, and with an open heart. All that the city had to offer reminded me of how important it is to take in everything that surrounds you and to look at something as it is the first time. New experiences create fantastic memories.

As a member of Alpha Delta Pi, I work hard to help out those in need. Our national philanthropy is the Ronald McDonald House. Luckily, there is a RMH right down the street in Tallahassee. I have helped in numerous projects, including cleaning the house, planting and gardening, cooking and visiting. This past December the executive board and officers went to RMH to deliver toys for Christmas. Each girl brought in at least two toys for the children. We brought more than 300 toys for the children who rely on the Ronald McDonald house. The Iota chapter of Alpha Delta Pi was seen in the National Magazine for our charity and service with the Ronald McDonald House. Being able to give children and their family a wonderful Christmas is one of the most important things. Taking a hard time for a family and doing whatever I can to take some of their burden away is one of the most inspiring things. I loved visiting the local house and being able to see how important the Ronald McDonald charity is to the families.

Ever since I was a little girl I have always loved helping others. Being able to be apart of something that helps others is a magnificent thing. I have traveled to various islands in the Bahamas to help others who are in need. These needs ranged from a new pair of shoes to an entirely new home. I have been blessed in my life, and so it became my turn to help others. The first year I traveled with Woodland Church to the Island of Aluthra. We were able to help re-build houses in low-income areas, as well as, bring vacation bible school to the local children. The next year we helped clear land that would eventually become the building plot for the youth center on the island. Being apart of a mission trip really taught me what is important in life. My trip to Aluthra showed me an entire group of people and how they lived. I have been very fortunate to be apart of this experience.

How are financial planning and salary negotiations related in the job search? How will you use this information in deciding how to structure your job search?

Being able to realize how important salary negotiations are is an important aspect when considering what jobs to take on. A job may seem appealing until the salary line is way below what you had expected. It is important to be confident when walking into an interview. It is also necessary to know before hand a salary range that you need to be looking for. A job may seem to be the perfect fit at the beginning, huge city, nice boss, tons of possibilities. The problem is however, can you afford to be there? When looking into a job you need to know exactly how much it will be with living expenses. How much will it cost just to pay rent and live in that town? Planning for the future includes budget planning. You have to know how much money you will need each month and if the job that you want can support that life style. Before looking for a job you need to plan. Make a spread sheet of all monthly bills and leisure activities. Once you have mapped out what salary range you need to be in look for a job that will fall into that price range. If you do not know the salary range of that job it is essential to ask. When you walk into that final interview, be confident and ask how much the job offers. Being prepared is the most important part of getting that ideal job. If you aren’t able to ask how much you will be making then you are not confident enough. Financial planning and salary negotiations are an essential part of growing up and starting a career. This class, Career Practicum, has taught me how to always be confident and how to plan ahead for the future.

There have been many incredible speakers in my COM4905 class this semester. I have learned how to expand my options when it comes to a career, as well as how to possibly plan my financial future. The career panel speaker that I mostly related to was Andrew Ellis. Andrew earned his degree in Communications at Florida State in 2002. I have always been nervous about starting something on my own. I have always wanted to go into something assured that it would become a positive experience. I have wanted to learn how to become more confident in all of the decisions I made. I really enjoyed Andrews talk. He started out as a Campaign Manager in 1999. Working with the government has always interested me. I have always either wanted to become an attorney or work within the mass communications field. Realizing that I can do both is very interesting. I learned that you don’t have to have a law degree to work personally within the government. After working with Boyd in Congress, Ellis became a PR executive for Ron Sachs Communications. It is intriguing that Ellis was able to go from one career to another without changing what you love to do. Andrew Ellis had many different careers through his life so far, and never did he call one a “job”. In 2006 he even created his own business, Revival Creative. I want to eventually own my own company some day. Hearing that owning a business can be scary, it can also be life changing. Dr. Betty Ann Korzenny also started her own business with her husband. They took the plunge to create a Hispanic Marketing company and were happy to do it. These two speakers were experiencers. They never let a moment pass them by. From traveling all over the world to starting a new career across the map, they did so with confidence. I have learned how to expand my career options and locations. I now know that no matter what opportunity comes my way I need to take it with confidence, and if it doesn’t work out it is not the end of the world. Something else even better will always be close by.

A few weeks ago I went to Florida State’s Career Center in the Dunlap building. While there, my classmates and I learned a lot about what the career center offers. Once a student has completed a mock interview, the career center creates cds and dvds for the student. These help the student edit their interviews as much as possible. The career center also offers computer and printing access for gradschool and campus research. There are also multiple filing cabinets with information about numerous careers. My group and I looked up information of a Public Relations Specialist. We found possible internship information as well as contact information that can help during a job search. The career center is extremely helpful and I have learned a lot by visiting and touring. The computer printing helps students find information and are able to keep the information constant and easy to access. A down side was when the printer stopped working and we had to find another means of information. The internship information was also very helpful. The downside to the information is the dating of it. I am not sure if the possible internship files as well as the job files are constantly updated. I also had a hard time finding the grad school information, we had to ask an employee to help us. The computers are always there to help in a job search and possible FSU alumni contacts. I also liked the fact that there were multiple employees and mentors there to help us along the way.

I have recently been able to research and utilize the website loopt.com. Loopt has been around on the web and on phone apps since 2005. The site came to be from a man named Sam Altman. He walked out of class one day and wondered where his friends were. Instead of calling each one seperately he created Loopt. To make a loopt page you go to www.loopt.com. There is a simple and easy sign up process. After you have created your username and page you are ready to go. On one side of the page a Q’s (questions). These questions can range from “which resturante on Tennessee Street has good Cuban food” to “how long is the line at the movie theater?” Other users will see the question and answer instantly. Afterall, there are over 5 million users on loopt. Loopt will also alert you when there are deals at certain places around town, who doesn’t like free things? There is also a loopt map. You can use this application to track down friends and other members of loopt to see what is going on around town. An employee can really benefit from the loopt site. It may be interesting to track your boss or other collegues. You can see the type of places this person likes to go, and the types of activities that he or she may like. With a positive side comes a negative. If you work for a company that works with advertising or marketing this website can come in handy. You can market your business on loopt. Providing a positive and constant thread will create activity. A negative aspect could be the places that you go. If your boss saw that you were out the night before a big presentation and that’s why you were late, that would not be professional. Loopt is an interactive and exciting website. To follow me go to https://www.loopt.com/profile